Thursday, September 15, 2011

Anger Leads To Judgement

"You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgement! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.'" Matthew 5: 21-22

We believe, often times, that our anger is justified. After all someone did us wrong. They spoke ill of us. They stole from us. They cut us off in traffic. They didn't say thank you. We were done wrong so we have every right to be angry. We are not actually murdering them, so it's okay.

Wrong. The above scripture tells us that even being angry with someone or calling them a name puts us in danger. It is easy to become angry and call someone a name. And for many, it is easy to stay angry. As Christians we should desire to honor God with our words, actions and thoughts. An attitude of anger is not honoring to Him.

"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love." Psalm 103:8

As Christians we are to be Christ-like, and Christ is compassionate and gracious. He is slow to anger and abounding in love. So the next time someone cuts you off on the highway or spreads a rumor about you, be slow to anger and name call.

14 comments:

Jenifer, does this apply to shopping in Walmart too? Just kidding. We often take our moments of anger way too lightly. But, if those we come in contact with through out our day, only see anger...what does that say about our relationship with the Lord? Good post.

Isn't it so easy to be kind and have compassion on people a world away, yet we have the hardest time showing that same compassion to those closest to us when they make us angry? That has been a challenge of mine this week; when the anger arises, I have to get rid of it immediately, before it all goes south! Ephesians 4:32"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ, God forgave you."Great Post, Jenifer!

I find that if I can hold my tongue long enough to take a couple of deep breaths and breathe a prayer, it really helps. Gotta admit, it's not always easy, but thanks for the reminder that it IS always right.Showers of blessings!Pam at www.2encourage.blogspot.com

We can be really flippant about our anger; as long as we aren't verbally chewing them out or no one hears our words or thoughts, it's ok. But Jesus said if we just harbor anger in our hearts we are in danger. I don't want to let my anger control me. With the power of the Holy Spirit I can control my anger. Great encouragement!

Hi Jenifer - my scripture for myself this week is James 1 v 19: Be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to anger. Joyce Meyer says if a scripture kind of grips you, keep repeating it until its part of you. Your post is just another confirmation of that. Thank youGod blessTracy

Moments of anger, the ones that come on in the heat of the moment, are the hardest ones for me to control. I act before I think and then BAM, I've acted in anger. Compassion and grace are worth striving for at all times.

I'm so glad I didn't cuss at those people in the grocery store :) BUT, I was angry. This is really convicting. And more at home than with strangers or friends. I want my words to be salt and light in any circumstance. Thanks for this :)

Totally agree with you. Yet I have one question: What do you think about righteous anger? Jesus threw down the tables ( from the money changers). And Moses broke the two tablets of stone, where the law was written on. I make a difference between sinful anger and righteous anger.

So true. It is a typical reaction to yell someones head off. But the God-honoring reaction is to be still and quiet. While Jesus was here all he did was show mercy when all we seem to do is want justice. This has been my lesson lately... Lovely Jenifer!!:)

I do so well with this when it comes to strangers. But when it comes to family I have such a hard time which is funny because you would think it would be just the opposite. Thank you for this reminder.

Great post today! someone once said to me that words never spoken are words never regretted, I am discovering that when I become angry at what someone else did, after stopping myself and taking some time to cool down my anger is often misplaced, I misunderstood what was said or what happened or took it completely out of context. I have been known to let my anger get out of control a time or two and I have to say I have regretted every time. I am a work in progress...

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